Catherwood LibraryILR School

The founder of the Model Alliance, a new labor organization bent on fighting for justice for models, was only 14 when she began working in the industry. The public may not think of models as having little power in their work contracts, but are often inducted into a culture of exploitation early, usually as young as 14 or 15 years old. Once tied to an agency models may be charged for plane tickets needed to get to shows, marketing services, or hotels and other fees. The movement has been met with success, in the form of a bill passed in New York that ramps up protections for child models, and difficulty as models are much less secure in their work than other professions. The organization led the successful movement to have Vogue stop using models under 16 or models who are dangerously thin. The total membership of the organization stands at about 400 models and is growing, but tougher battles lie ahead.